The Perfectionist
by Mykerinos
Summary: Severus wouldn't participate in such a silly contest. Never. And especially not with Granger, no, he'd rather eat his socks. He shivered at that thought. Okay, perhaps not.
1. That's A Bet

_Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. It all belongs to Rowling. Surprise._

  
  


A/N: Hope you like this pointless fic! It's not like it's a real humor fic where you'll be laughing out loud and falling off your chair and so on, but it's simply not a very serious fic... Hey, that doesn't mean it has no plot. Anyway, like I said, I hope you enjoy. If you do, a review would be a nice Christmas present.   
  


**The Perfectionist**

  
  


By Mykerinos 

  
  


Chapter One: That's a bet   


  
  


Before the meeting had started Severus Snape approached his female colleague, waiting for her to finish her conversation with Remus Lupin. When she didn't seem to notice his presence, he coughed loudly and empathizing. Finally she turned around. When she saw who was facing her, her jaw dropped a bit. 

  
  


"Minerva," Severus addressed icily before she could say anything, "I want to talk to you about some of your students." 

  
  


"Really?" the older woman said irritably. "Who's been bothering you this time, Severus? Has Neville blown something up again?" She frowned. "I know the boy's clumsy, but for Merlin's sake, Severus, you can't keep carping at him all the time." 

  
  


"Potter is sneaking out at nights again." He looked down his hooked nose. "I caught him several times this month, but obviously he doesn't care about 100 house points more or less." 

  
  


Professor McGonagall did seem a bit shocked at that. "I'll ask him about that. Anything else?" 

  
  


"Weasley. The boy. He's getting just as bad as his brothers, but what his brothers did seem to accomplish, he doesn't. His grades are dropping, and his homework is suffering under all those jokes." 

  
  


"Well, have you got anything about Miss Granger too, to make it complete?" she asked a bit indignantly. 

  
  


Severus glared at her. "As a matter of fact, yes, I have. The girl really is getting on my nerves, Minerva, trying to know everything and constantly interrupting me to correct other's mistakes." 

  
  


"You can't blame her for being smart, Severus!" Remus Lupin had joined the conversation and a small smile played across his lips, which infuriated Severus. He was having a serious problem here! That silly Know-It-All had been on his back for 7 years already, always asking for more information, more homework, recommended reading. Always making interesting comments, which were always undeniably true. Always being first in class.... 

  
  


"She's gouging her classmates' eyes out," he said, trying to stay calm. After years and years of practicing that wasn't that difficult for him to do. 

  
  


"I think you're overreacting." Minerva shook her head. "Miss Granger is a very decent student, and she would never abuse her intellect to manipulate others." 

  
  


"That's right," Remus said. 

  
  


Severus just glared. He couldn't stand against two of those sunny-minded people. But he would get back of them, somehow. Then they all sat down, and Dumbledore started the meeting. 

  
  


- -- - -- - -- - 

  
  


"So, have you got any ideas, Severus?" Remus Lupin tried to catch up with the Potions Master, who looked even sourer than normal on his way back to the dungeons. The meeting had been a very short one, but it had been long enough for Severus to come to the conclusion that Albus Dumbledore had completely lost his mind this time. 

  
  


Severus only walked faster at the question, totally ignoring it. Remus just smiled. 

  
  


"Don't you like contests? I know you never liked _dancing _contests, but Albus said that this time it could be any kind of contest, didn't he? A potion-making contest, perhaps? I'm sure Albus would be very amused if _you_ came up with an idea." 

  
  


A few passing students gave the new DADA professor weird looks, and started giggling when they glanced up at Severus. He shot them a glare to quiet them. Remus took no notice of this all, now almost running to keep up with the angry Head of Slytherin. 

  
  


"I know I'm going to send in _my_ idea," he said enthusiastically. 

  
  


"And what would your idea be, werewolf? A biting contest?" Severus sneered, accelerating some more. 

  
  


"A flying contest!" Remus beamed, glad that his companion had decided to join the conversation. "Not _just_ flying, of course, but something like figure flying--" 

  
  


"Right!" Severus snorted. "I can imagine those little brats in their suits and dresses making pirouettes on their brooms with revolting pink ribbons..." 

  
  


"Yes, wouldn't that be fantastic?" 

  
  


"No, it wouldn't. It's the stupidest idea I've ever heard, even from a werewolf. Besides the idea of keeping a contest on itself, of course. And by the way, the Headmaster would never allow such a thing, after all the Quidditch trouble." he said with unfriendly amusement. "Never. I'll enter it with the Granger-girl, if he does," he said carelessly, recalling his early conversation with Minerva. 

  
  


Remus eyes glittered. "That's a bet," he smiled. 

  
  


"Please, werewolf, shut up." Fortunately for Severus they had reached the dungeons, and he hastily sought some bottle in his large collection. "Here, your wolfsbane potion for this month. Now get lost." He sat down behind his desk. "Oh, and do tell me when that contest is accepted," he commented sarcastically. 

  
  


Remus left the dungeons, shaking the potion in his hands. "Oh, I will, dear friend. I will."   
  
  
  
  


  
  
  
TBC 


	2. Breaking The News

A/N: Glad you liked it ^_^   
  


**The Perfectionist**   
****   
**** ****

By Mykerinos   
  


Chapter One: Breaking the news   
  


"What?" Severus grunted dangerously, being just awake and not quite have got the chance to get some coffee yet as the younger man apparently had been waiting for him to enter the staff room. Severus pushed him away, and sat down in a large chair, bringing his hands to his eyes.   
  


"Albus picked my idea!" Remus said cheerfully like a small boy who had just been chosen for some baseball team. "There will be held a flying contest! A _figure_-flying contest!"   
  


"Oh," Severus just exclaimed. The news didn't seem to dawn on him. But then again, their conversation had been a few weeks ago, and he had forgotten all about it. It took a few more moments for him to realize what Remus had just said.   
  


"A figure-flying contest?" He scowled at Remus. "Are you sure? Are you ... deadly sure?"   
  


"Bloody sure," the other grinned. "Albus told me last night. He thought it was very original with many possibilities. He also agreed on teachers participating when I told him you wanted to enter with Miss Granger."   
  


At this not only Severus, but also the rest of the staff jumped up.   
  


"You're going to enter, Severus?" Flitwick squeaked, doubt all over his face.   
  


"Hogwarts' most contradicting persons combined? That would be interesting." Sprout pondered.   
  


"How did you do that, Remus?" Madame Hooch asked curiously. "I could never even _talk_ to him about brooms, let alone actually get him on one."   
  


Severus sat down in his chair in the corner most far away from the window. How stupid had it been to make the bet. He sighed. But they would forget about it. Eventually. Severus just hoped it'd be in time, because he wouldn't participate in such a silly contest. And certainly not with Granger. Never. He'd rather eat his socks.   
  


Eeeww.   
  


Okay, not that.   
  


- -- - -- - -- - 

Unfortunately for Severus, Remus did not forget. And not only did he remember, he also made sure Severus and the rest of the staff remembered, in a most subtle way.   
  


"So, Severus," Remus said one day during breakfast, "Have you told Miss Granger about the contest yet?"   
  


"Don't be silly," Severus grunted back, pricking in some sausage as he tried to keep his voice low so the others wouldn't hear. However, some of his colleagues looked up curiously and heard what he said. "You didn't think I took that bet seriously, did you?"   
  


Remus didn't even have to say anything, as the rest did that for him.   
  


"You made a bet, Severus," small Professor Flitwick exclaimed, "And you lose!"   
  


"Yeah, don't be childish!" Sprout said indignantly..   
  


"As the Head of your House you have to be a good sample," Professor McGonagall gave him an almost disappointed look.   
  


Severus shook his head angrily. "The students have got nothing to do with this all," he said.   
  


"Actually one of them has," Dumbledore smiled in a very amused way.   
  


Severus shot him a glare, angry with him for jumping in also. Severus was pretty sure that even if Remus had told nobody about the bet, the man had still known. Because he just _knew_. Really.   
  


"Don't worry, mate, you don't have to if you don't want to," Remus finally said, shrugging carelessly.   
  


Everybody watched Severus closely as he gritted his teeth. Obviously two parts of him were fighting with each other. On one hand, he knew Remus was just trying to provoke him. But on the other... The prospect of a new reputation as 'coward' or 'unsporting' didn't appeal to him either. He couldn't let Remus win. Not this time.   
  


"I'll tell her," Severus said icily, trying to control his temper, "as soon as I've finished my breakfast. _Mate._"   
  


A painful silence fell over the staff table. Severus scowled at Remus, who just grinned back. "That's fine with me," he said cheerfully.   
  


Reluctantly Severus ate some more, keeping an eye at Granger. She seemed to be having the greatest fun with her two friends. Of course she was a student with at least _some_ brains, but Severus wondered how her flying skills were.   
  


He watched how she showed the youngest Weasley something from a book, apparently trying to explain her something. The red-haired girl nodded understandingly, and pointed at something else in the book.   
  


Severus shoved away his plate and stood up from the table. Aware of all the eyes of the staff fixed upon him, he strode towards the exit, his black robes seeming to struggle against the wind he caused. When he reached the Gryffindor table he did not stop or turn his head.   
  


"My office, Granger, now," he demanded shortly, and walked out of the Great Hall, trusting the Granger girl to follow soon after.   
  


No, he wouldn't give Remus and the others the pleasure of sharing their conversation.   
  
  
  
  


TBC 


	3. Such Mystery

A/N: This is such a weird story ^_^ So much fun to write! And so much fun hearing from people they like it!   
  


**The Perfectionist**   
  


By Mykerinos   
  


Chapter Three: Such mystery   
  


A few minutes later, a slightly nervous Hermione and a perhaps even more nervous Severus Snape sat in the small office. It was an office as small as Dumbledore's, but not as warm.   
  


"Miss Granger, I assume you've heard about the contest?" Severus broke the silence. The girl seemed very much surprised, if not shocked at this question.   
  


"The figure flying contest?" she asked hesitatingly. "Yes, I've heard about it. Why?"   
  


"And you haven't got a partner yet?" Severus hoped she had, but somehow doubted that very much.   
  


"Er.. No, sir. But why--"   
  


"Then that's settled," Severus said in a definite tone, standing up from his chair to open the door. The Granger girl only followed him with her eyes, her face showing a very confused expression.   
  


"Excuse me?" she said, frowning, not quite understanding.   
  


"Do I really need to spell it out?" Severus spat. He coughed, thinking of how he was going to bring this. His chest suddenly felt very heavy, and he had a hard time spitting out the words. "You and I will participate in the contest."   
  


The room fell silent, and a look of intense horror appeared on the girl's face. She opened her mouth to say something, probably object, but Severus didn't need any form of response. "That was all, miss Granger, leave now,"   
  


But Granger didn't move. She just stared at Severus with her eyes opened wide, like she was seeing water burn. Severus rolled his eyes.   
  


"I told you to LEAVE, miss Granger," he said in a deadly voice, and finally the girl seemed to wake up. She nodded curtly, and rushed past Severus out of the office.   
  


Severus gave a sigh, closing the door.   
  


Damned girl.   
  


- -- - -- - -- -   
  


"He did _what_?" Ginny asked, her eyes even wider opened than Hermione's had been a few minutes back. People around them in the hall looked up at the exclamation.   
  


Hermione covered the red-haired girl's mouth and pulled her inside a nearby empty classroom. There she let go of the smaller Gryffindor, and let out a tensed sigh.   
  


"Thank you for drawing the attention to us..." she said a bit annoyed. "But, yes, Professor Snape asked, or actually _told_ me to be his partner in the contest..." She looked up at Ginny, who was obviously having a hard time suppressing a fit of laughter.   
  


"It's not funny, Ginny!" Hermione said frustrated, sitting down on a chair. "Don't you see? I'm terrible at a broomstick! I'll make a complete fool out of myself in front of Snape..."   
  


At that point Ginny exploded. Her face went all red and she almost rolled over the floor of laughing. Hermione shot her a glare, which the other didn't even notice.   
  


"Oh Merlin!" Ginny said after a few moments, when the laughter had subsided just enough for her to exclaim those words. "I can't believe it! Are you sure you haven't dreamed it, Mione?"   
  


Hermione angrily jumped up. "Do you really think I'd dream such a thing?!" she asked, then sank back in her chair again. "This is bizarre, Ginny... Why would Snape want to participate in such a contest? And why would he actually do such a thing with me -- a student?"   
  


"Perhaps he fancies you," Ginny giggled, going all red again.   
  


"Ginny!" Hermione said annoyed. She sighed again. Ginny was a nice person, but she still was and would always be a year younger than Hermione, and she could act so childish. Hermione stood up and walked out of the classroom, leaving Ginny behind. Yes, books were much better company, she thought.   
  


In her hurry she bumped into Harry, who looked a bit puzzled to find her here. "Something wrong?" he asked doubtfully.   
  


"No," lied Hermione in a somewhat too high voice.   
  


Harry narrowed his eyes. "You sure?"   
  


"Yes!" Hermione rushed past her friend, and started running into the direction of Professor McGonagall's office.   
  


She had to talk to the Head of her House. Perhaps she knew what was going on here. She ran faster, something which she wasn't accustomed to, and tripped over her own robe. As she saw the floor coming closer with enormous speed, Hermione let out a small cry. Not quite having got the chance to put out her hands in front of her, she smacked with her face onto the cold stones of the hall.   
  


"Miss Granger!" a high voice pierced the air.   
  


With much effort Hermione looked up to see Professor McGonagall running into her direction. "Just the one I'd been looking for," she muttered, and she grabbed Hermione's arm, pulling her on her feet roughly with a strength that Hermione hadn't been expecting from such a wise-looking lady.   
  


Without asking if she was okay, McGonagall pulled Hermione into her office. There she closed the door behind and made an impatient gesture with her hand, telling Hermione to sit down.   
  


As she did so, the older woman immediately started asking the question she had, judging by her face, been burning to ask, not giving Hermione the chance to tell her what she had been doing, or to even rub her face in pain.   
  


"Well, did he ask??" McGonagall said, almost exploding out of enthusiasm. Her eyes were all gleaming, and her lips were pressed together like she was afraid to burst out in enormous laughter. Hermione gave her a weird look. She had never seen the Head of her House acting so strange.   
  


"Who asked what?" she asked surprised.   
  


"Severus, of course!" McGonagall almost jumped up and down. "He did ask you about the contest, didn't he?"   
  


Hermione felt a limb in her throat. What was this?? Was McGonagall in it too? Hermione yelped.   
  
  
  
  


TBC 


	4. Oops

A/N: This is a tad short. I'm sorry. I am busy celebrating holidays and stuff ^_^ Happy holiday to you all!   
  


**The Perfectionist**   
  


By Mykerinos   
  


Chapter Four: Oops.   
  


"Well, did he ask??" McGonagall said, almost exploding out of enthusiasm. Her eyes were all gleaming, and her lips were pressed together like she was afraid to burst out in enormous laughter. Hermione gave her a weird look. She had never seen the Head of her House acting so strange.   
  


"Who asked what?" she asked surprised.   
  


"Severus, of course!" McGonagall almost jumped up and down. "He did ask you about the contest, didn't he?"   
  


Hermione felt a limb in her throat. What was this?? Was McGonagall in it too? Hermione yelped.   
  


"Oh, er, yes, he did," reacted a dazed Hermione. "But how would you know?"   
  


McGonagall suddenly turned very serious again, and she closed the distance between the two of them. "Listen, Hermione, this is very important. You must answer the question I'm going to ask you with complete honesty, do you understand? I want you tell me _exactly_ how he asked you, and don't leave out any details!"   
  


Hermione felt like a small child being questioned over some murder. And now she was being asked... what _had_ exactly happened, anyway?   
  


"I don't know," she frowned. "He just... told me, I guess,"   
  


"But _how_, child, think!" McGonagall exclaimed, throwing her hands up in frustration.   
  


"I **am** thinking!" Hermione yelled back, all this weirdness making her bloody nervous.   
  


"Think harder!" McGonagall sighed.   
  


The room fell silent. McGonagall was waiting for Hermione to answer, who was just thinking very hard to recall the conversation. About 30 seconds later, she remembered something.   
  


"He just... asked if I knew about the contest, and I said yes, and then he only said, 'okay, then that's a deal', and told me to leave," she finished, and looked up at the professor to see if her answer was approved. The woman gave a slow nod.   
  


"Well, alright then. You can go Hermione," McGonagall said absent-mindedly, walking over to her desk and grabbing an quill and a piece of parchment.   
  


Hermione raised on her feet, and quietly left the office. She looked into some mirror. Her cheeks and nose were all red. Returning to the Gryffindor common room, she gave a loud sigh. Why was everybody acting so weird lately?   
  


Next day, Hermione got a letter, only saying, "Quidditch field, at 4. SS."   
  


Assuming he meant 4 pm, she folded the letter away.   
  


- -- - -- - -- -   
  


A few minutes before 4 am, Severus Snape arrived at the cold Quidditch Field. It was dark, and soft raindrops fell down on Severus' black cloak. He threw the two brooms on the ground, and leaned against the gate, staring at the castle in front of him.   
  


He had to win this game. Now that he was in this stupid contest, he had to win it, at any cost. Just to get back at Remus. He smiled at himself, picturing how Remus' usual shining face would twitch at the sight of him being victorious. Haha, he would feel so bad he wouldn't show himself for some days.   
  


But it wouldn't be easy, he certainly had to practice for it. And the girl, too! Damn it, where was she?   
  


Severus saw 15 minutes had past already, and the girl still wasn't here. Growing more annoyed and getting wetter with every minute that went by, his frustration reached his maximum after half an hour of waiting. He was soaked, and grabbing the brooms, he left the field, promising himself he'd make Granger feel sorry later.   
  
  
  
  


TBC 


	5. Why, Thank You!

A/N: Took me long, this one. Sorry if this chapter is boring. And if you think the characters are OOC, thank you! Okay, let me explain you that one.   
  


When writing the characters, I tried to exaggerate one characteristic of that person. Take Remus. In the books, he isn't always as happy and sunny-minded as he is portrayed here. I just took that one feature for this story. And I also see McGonagall as one who's really strict, and eager to learn. Now, I know perfectly well that eagerness is different from curiosity, but I decided to give her that role anyway.   
  


That's just for the side-characters. If you think Severus and Hermione are terribly OCC, please flame me =D   
  


**The Perfectionist**   
  


By Mykerinos   
  


Chapter Five: Why, thank you!   
  


Hermione knocked on the door of Professor Snape's office at 5 pm. At first there was no response, but when she knocked again and was about to leave, the door opened to reveal an angry Snape.   
  


"Where were you at 4 am, girl?" he growled dangerously. "I've waited half an hour for you in the rain, for heaven's sake!"   
  


"4 _am_?!" Hermione squealed, surprised at this sudden explosion. "Couldn't you at least have told me it was _am_ you meant? I had to skip Herbology to find a field that was already being used by Quidditch teams! I just got back from it!"   
  


Snape crossed his arms and snorted. "Don't you have _any_ brains? Does it make sense to you I'd have us practicing at a time we both are supposed to follow lessons?"   
  


Hermione just scowled. Of _course_ that made sense. She wouldn't be surprised if he told her to leave school and go to the other side of the world to get something he wanted. "Does it make sense to practice at a time we should all be asleep?" she retorted.   
  


"Very much," Snape crossed his arms. "At 4 am, the field is never unavailable. And at 4 am, like you said, everybody is supposed to be asleep. Nobody can see us practice,"   
  


Hermione kept silent. She had to admit he was right in _some _way. But still... He couldn't blame her for not showing up, either!   
  


Snape scowled. "Well then, see you at the Quidditch field at 4 _am_ this night. If you are planning to show up,"   
  


He stepped back and closed the door. Hermione put her hand on it just in time, and Snape looked up, disturbed.   
  


"Professor, could you perhaps write a note to professor Sprout to tell her the reason of my non-attendance?" Hermione asked carefully.   
  


Snape rolled his eyes and snorted. "I think not," he said, and closed the door. Hermione stared at it for a few seconds, then shrugged. "Fine," she muttered as she turned around and started walking back to the common room.   
  


- -- - -- - -- -   
  


"He did not!" Sprout exclaimed in total astonishment. "But how-"   
  


Minerva waved her hand to keep her colleagues that had gathered around her silent. "There's more!" she cried. "He even told her-" She shut up abruptly as Severus entered the room.   
  


He stood still and squeezed his eyes suspiciously at the group. Slowly everybody started to take steps back, revealing Minerva. "Good afternoon, Severus" she said, her face unreadable.   
  


"Good afternoon, Minerva," Severus replied icily, his gaze still fixed upon her. They stared at each other for some time, both not saying a thing, silently observing, and the rest of the staff hold their breaths.   
  


Then the door swung open again, and Remus came walking in. "Hello, everybody!" he smiled cheerfully, and Minerva and Severus both snapped their heads up at the same time. "Having quite some fun here, I see! Mind if I join the conversation?" he beamed.   
  


Severus glared, and took his seat in the corner, ignoring Remus. Unfortunately the other man grabbed a chair, placed it next to Severus, and sat down there.   
  


"So, how are you doing, Severus?" Remus asked.   
  


Severus glared.   
  


"I heard lots of students have signed up for the contest already! Parvati Patil, Alicia Spinnet, Zabini Blaise, the Weasley twins--"   
  


Severus glared.   
  


"--even Draco Malfoy! Or what about Harry Potter? I'm afraid you and Hermione will get a lot of competition, Severus!" Remus continued.   
  


Severus glared, until Remus finally kept silent. Harry _Potter_. Ha! He couldn't allow himself to lose from that boy. Or any student, for that matter.   
  
  
  
  


TBC 


	6. Practice Time

A/N: Glad you like it... Hope you enjoy reading this chapter just as much as I did writing it. By the way, seems like the chapters are getting shorter and shorter, eh? Oh well =)   
  


**The Perfectionist**   
  


By Mykerinos   
  


Chapter Six: Practice time   
  


Being a prefect, Hermione had no trouble getting herself to the Quidditch field in the mid of the night. Walking into the direction of the dark figure standing in front of the gate, she looked up at the sky. It was cold, but fortunately it wasn't raining.   
  


She had been having an odd feeling all day about tonight. But then again, it _was_ very odd indeed. Harry and Ron had almost fainted when she had told them about why she had skipped Herbology.   
  


"Good night, Professor," she greeted.   
  


Snape nodded curtly, and turned around to push open the heavy doors of the gate. Hermione entered, glancing up at Snape as she passed. His permanent scowl, his greasy hair, his yellow teeth, his terrible attitude... Why would this man want to enter a figure-flying contest, something so unlike him?   
  


The news about Hermione entering the contest with Snape, had spread very fast. She was now being stared at in the hallways, and people kept asking her how she had done this. Colin Creevey had offered his camera for her to take pictures of Snape practicing on his broom.   
  


She smiled. Actually, she wondered herself too how Snape on a broomstick would look like.   
  


"What are you smiling at, girl?" Snape then growled, and Hermione quickly dropped the smile.   
  


"Nothing, sir," she said, and cleaned her throat quickly. A frightening thought crossed her mind. "You _have _brought brooms with you, haven't you?" she asked, afraid there had been another misunderstanding.   
  


Snape gestured his hand to some broomsticks lying in the grass. Hermione gave a relieved sigh. She waited until Snape had closed the gate again, and then walked over to the broomsticks, where she got one broom pushed into her hands.   
  


"Alright then," Snape drawled. "First, we'll test how good you are at balancing. I don't want you to fall off your broom in the mid of the contest," he said grimly, and Hermione felt like he wouldn't even _allow_ her to fall.   
  


"Get on your broom first," he ordered, and Hermione did so. The odd feeling that she had been having all day now had become a dreadful feeling of something terrible that bound happen.   
  


"Now fly to the other side of the field,," He got on his broom himself too, and took off into the dark night sky. Hermione did the same, and tried to catch up with him. He wasn't flying fast, fortunately, and if this was the pace she had to follow, perhaps she could even manage to keep up!   
  


She glanced up at Snape. He didn't look awkward at all on a broom. He actually looked quite charming, his black robe billowing behind him, the wind causing it to whirl even more than normal.   
  


"Put your feet on the broom," he demanded curtly, Hermione snapping out of her thoughts, and she tried to do so. Leaning forward, she pulled up her feet that had been swinging in the air.   
  


"Get up,"   
  


Hermione frowned, wondering how she was going to do that. The wind howled in her ears, blowing right through her thin cloak and robes. She cursed herself for her sweaty hands. Soaring in the sky on a broom was bad enough, without having sweaty hands and a Professor with a temper flying next to you.   
  


Holding on to the broom as tightly as she could, she put the heels of her shoes on the stick, and tried to push herself up. But her nerves made her not careful enough, and having put too much weight on her unstable feet, her right foot slipped away, and she fell.   
  


BHWAM.   
  


She landed on her left arm, and let out a small cry of pain. Biting the tears back, she opened her eyes to see Snape jumping off his broom to walk to her.   
  


"That was an extraordinary flip trick you did there, Miss Granger," he commented, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Think you could do that again?"   
  


Hermione clasped her hand to her right arm. "It hurts... I think it's broken,"   
  


"I wouldn't be surprised if it is," Snape drawled. "You fell from a good 20 feet. Now, get on your broom again. I'll show you--"   
  


"Sir!" Hermione interrupted him. "I said it was _broken_. I can't fly this way!"   
  


Snape gave an exasperated sigh. "Fine," he said finally, and muttered a spell into the direction of the broom. Immediately it got transfigured into a stretcher. Relieved she didn't have to continue Hermione crawled onto it. A moment later she floated before her extremely irritated Potions Master.   
  


Despite the situation and the pain in her arm she had to giggle. This was just too weird.   
  
  
  
  


TBC 


	7. Sweet Dreams

A/N: Haha. Ahem. Anyway... I make no sense.   
  


**The Perfectionist**   
  


By Mykerinos   
  


Chapter Seven: Sweet Dreams   
  


Hemione lay in a white bed of the Hospital Wing. Harry and Ron were standing around her, as was Ginny.   
  


"And then I just fell," Hermione explained, shrugging. Quickly she clasped to her right arm. Shrugging wasn't such a good idea now. "He actually wanted me to just stand up, and continue, but when I told him that I _really_ couldn't go on, he fortunately brought me to the Hospital Wing,"   
  


"He brought you? How did he do that?" Ginny asked curiously.   
  


"On a stretcher," Hermione answered seriously.   
  


"I can just imagine him," Ginny laughed. "All sour it wasn't your neck you broke, and you on a stretcher in the air flying before him!"   
  


"I'd rather not imagine such thing!" Ron shivered. "I really feel for you Hermione, having to enter a competition with Snape as your partner..."   
  


"Me too," Harry agreed. "Are you sure he didn't push you off your broom?"   
  


"Guys, he really isn't too bad!" Hermione said indignantly, immediately receiving strange looks from all three. "Honest! I was just nervous, that's all. He wouldn't push me. He's a Professor!"   
  


The four of them burst out in laughter, making Hermione realise that that probably hadn't been a good argument.   
  


Madame Pomfrey walked into the Wing. After one last quick research, Hermione could go.   
  


"The pain will still trouble you for some days, but after that you can do whatever you want again," Pomfrey said.   
  


Hermione nodded, and the four of them left the Wing.   
  


- -- - -- - -- -   
  


Hermione sat in a classroom, studying Herbology, when there was suddenly knocked on the floor. Proffessor Snape stormed in, and grabbed Hermione's arm, which still hurt, and snapped his fingers.   
  


They were standing on the Quidditch Field again.   
  


"On your broom," he commanded.   
  


Hermione glanced down at her arm. "But--"   
  


"ON YOUR BROOM!" Snape exploded, and being severely frightened Hermione stepped on the broom.   
  


"Follow me," Snape said, and he took off with enormous speed. Hermione did the same, but her broom seemed to be much slower than his.   
  


"Where are you, girl?" she heard distantly. It was too dark to see anything.   
  


"It's my broom, sir," she squeaked. "It's so slow!"   
  


Suddenly her broom wasn't slow anymore, and she soared in the sky, higher and higher, searching for Snape. It was great flying like this, she had to admit.   
  


"Try to stand up now," she heard again.   
  


Feeling like she could do anything, Hermione tried to stand up, and a few seconds later she had let go of her broom and was standing steadily on her broom, still soaring with enormous speed on a great height.   
  


"Are you nuts?! Stop flying so fast, hang still!" Snape's voice pierced the air.   
  


Hermione did so, putting more weight on her the back of the broom, and waited for further instructions.   
  


Then suddenly she felt two strong hands giving her a shove from her back, and she lost her balance, and fell forward. Turning around in the air, she saw Snape on his broom, a malicious grin on his face.   
  


Hermione screamed, falling further and further into the never-ending darkness...   
  


- -- - -- - -- -   
  


"Hermione let out a small cry, sitting right up in her bed. Looking around her, she again saw nothing but darkness. But now she was laying safely in her bed.   
  


Gasping for air, she wiped some sweat off her forehead with the blanket. Somewhere she heard a light being snapped on.   
  


"Are you alright, Hermione?" somebody asked, and the curtain was shoved away, sharp light hurting her eyes.   
  


"Yeah, I'm fine," Hermione answered, squinting. "Just some... nightmare, I guess,"   
  


She sighed, and the light was put out again. Hermione fell back on her bed.   
  


Just a nightmare, that's all..   
  
  
  
  


TBC 


	8. Dreams are deceptive, right?

A/N: I'm sorry this took me ages! It's not like I have a really good reason for not updating sooner... School didn't take _that_ much time.. This chapter just wouldn't come out. Anyway, I want to thank all who read and reviewed! Thank you! *bows*   
  


**The Perfectionist**   
  


By Mykerinos   
  


Chapter Eight: Dreams are deceptive... Right?   
  


Potion lessons had gone like always.   
  


Until now.   
  


Hermione felt a tad nervous, and while Snape was explaining the use of the Invisibility Draught she had difficulties focusing on what he was saying.   
  


Instead, her thoughts drifted off to last night's dream. Well, of course it had been just a dream, but suddenly the idea of him pushing her off of her broom didn't seem ridiculous anymore.   
  


She knew he hadn't _really_ pushed her off of her broom, but he had caused her to fall, hadn't he? He had actually stared her off of her broom, wasn't that just as bad? The result had been the same, obviously.   
  


"Miss Granger, do you mind paying attention? Or has your clumsy fall also affected your ability to write notes down?" Snape's voice snapped her back to the lesson. Some Slytherins snickered dumbly.   
  


Snape raised his eyebrow, and for a moment Hermione felt quite at loss, being stared at so accusingly.   
  


Searching for her quill, she waited for him to continue.   
  


Finally he took his gaze off of her. "Like I was saying, the Invisibility Draught can not be used on human beings. It is strictly and alone for small things like pencils, books..."   
  


Hermione gave a relieved sigh, and glanced up at Harry. He shrugged, and got back to his work.   
  


Next day, Hermione got another note per owl, saying they would practice again next Monday morning, at 4 _am_. He had underlined that.   
  


Hermione swallowed. She just hoped it would go better than last time...   
  


- -- - -- - -- -   
  


"All right," Snape drawled. "Since your balance leaves too much to be desired, we'll first try something different. Something _aesthetic_," He spit the word out like it was dirt in his mouth.   
  


Hermione couldn't hold back a smile at the thought of Snape doing _anything_ aesthetic. It faded again when she realised she had to try something aesthetic as well.   
  


"Back flip, we'll do that first," he grumbled, and Hermione felt her heart leap.   
  


"A back flip?" she asked with a quavering voice. "Hasn't that got much more to do with balance than with--"   
  


"No, it hasn't." he cut her off. Hermione's mouth closed shut. "And I'm not going to let you get away so easily this time," he added with a glare. Hemione yelped.   
  


"Sir, I don't think I can do such a thing," she said quietly, hoping he wouldn't get angry.   
  


"I know _that_, Miss Granger," Snape snapped, and Hermione decided that she'd better keep silent unless she was being asked something.   
  


They took off into the sky a second later, and already Hermione felt panic welling up inside her. She wasn't comfortable flying with Professor Snape anymore.   
  


Okay, she had never been, but the feeling was worse this time. Damn that dream...   
  


"Now, all you have to do is pull your broom to you as far as you can. It will automatically make a flip backwards," he explained, and Hermione gave a nod, noticing her hands had gone all sweaty again.   
  


"Once you're overturning, don't release the stick, or you will fall down," he warned.   
  


Hermione thought she saw an unpleasant glitter in his eyes, but when she blinked it was gone again. Was she hallucinating now?   
  


"Well, what are you waiting for?" Snape then grumbled, and Hermione prepared for the trick.   
  


Taking a deep breath, she pulled the top of the broomstick up, and felt with a shock how the broom responded to that. Before she knew she was flying in the air vertically, and felt gravity pulling her down on her robes. Almost automatically she forced the broom to turn quicker, and closed her eyes, trying to get rid of the terrible feeling in her stomach. And then it was all over.   
  


She opened her eyes again, and saw she was already flying back in the air, facing the same direction as she had faced a few seconds ago.   
  


"I did it!" she realised suddenly, too overwhelmed to see Snape's irritated glance.   
  


"Yes, well," he said in an annoyed tone. "Try again, and remember to _control your broom_ this time, Miss Granger. I don't feel like doing all the work for you a second time,"   
  


He glared, and Hermione's smile got washed off of her face at the sight of the wand in his hand. So she hadn't done anything after all. Great.   
  


Even more nervous than before, and with hands sweatier than ever, Hermione hold on to the broomstick as good as she could, and tried not to think of how hard she would fall if she'd fall....   
  


Quickly, but not very efficiently, she pulled the broomstick towards her, and again she felt it rise higher and higher, and the feeling in her stomach returned... She was going to vomit, she was going to vomit for sure... She hadn't closed her eyes this time, and while she felt herself turn, slower than the first time, she saw Snape, who was giving her a stern look as always, hovering in the sky like a large bat. And suddenly her dream flashed through her head again, and for a moment she knew for sure he was going to make her fall...   
  


And in this moment of distraction, which hadn't lasted longer than half a second, she felt the broom slip away from her, or actually, felt how she slipped away from the broom.   
  


She screamed, but before she knew what was really happening, she hung in the sky. Opening her eyes slowly, she felt the cool wind blew her hair out of her face. She was hanging in the air.   
  


Carefully moving turning her head, she saw Snape directing his wand at her. He looked exasperated, but Hermione gave a relieved sigh anyway.   
  


"Unless you want me to let you drop, I strongly advise you to climb to your broom now you still can," Snape said in a strained voice. Obviously it was taking him a lot of power to levitate her, and that wasn't weird at all. Not many can levitate a fully-grown teenager.   
  


Scared he would soon no longer be able to hold it, Hermione climbed up the air, back on her broom. When she was sitting save there, Snape undid the charm.   
  


Hermione wiped of some sweat off of her forehead with her sleeve, then glanced up at Snape, thankfully.   
  


Perhaps the Professor wasn't _that_ bad, she thought.   
  


Really.   
  
  
  
  


TBC 


	9. Enough!

A/N: I'm so sorry you had to wait so long for this... crappy... chapter. Argh! There's even DRAMA in this one! Don't say I didn't warn you. Hehe. And I haven't even got a real excuse for not updating so long... No finals, no homework overload... No ruined computer, no late Christmas holidays, no illnesses. Just laziness. I'm sorry, I'm sorry! *begs for mercy* 

Anyway. I don't know where to go from here. Should I just let time pass extremely quickly and write that contest? Or should I describe those boring trainings some more... *yawn* No, I probably should do something more with Remus. Some distraction. Hey... *gets an idea that has actually got nothing to do with Remus but is fun anyway* This probably is the first time I get an idea out of writing Author Notes. 

This chapter is dedicated to everyone who put me in their fave list...? You make me feel so loved. *gets kicked* No, but really, I was just looking at that stats section, and looked at the people who had me in their fave lists, and I got filled with joy and peace and happiness and hyperness and goodness, and then I forced myself to write this chapter. 

I'm sorry those author notes are so long and filled with nonsense... I just missed you guys so much! *wipes away tears* It's been nearly two whole weeks since I last updated! *starts weeping uncontrollably*   
  


**The Perfectionist**   
  


By Mykerinos   
  


Chapter Nine: Enough!   
  


"That man is _impossible_!" Hermione exclaimed, throwing her hands up in the sky in frustration as she came rushing into Ginny's dormitory a few days later. She had just returned from the Quidditch field, which had been cold and dark and wet, but that wasn't the reason for her complaining.   
  


The other girls sleeping in the room gave annoyed groans as Hermione snapped on the light. She walked over to Ginny's bed. "Ginny? Ginny, are you sleeping?"   
  


Ginny's freckled head popped up from under the blankets. "Not anymore..." she mumbled sleepily.   
  


"Then come with me to the common room," Hermione lowered her voice. "I don't want to disturb your dorm mates," she said, looking around her and receiving nothing but angry glances.   
  


Reluctantly Ginny pushed her blankets away, and stepped out of her bed. Quickly turning the light off again, they went to the Common Room, where the fire crackled, greeting them warmly.   
  


"What time is it, 'Mione?" Ginny asked, falling down in a chair and squeezing her eyes against the light the fire gave.   
  


"5 am, so you were supposed to get up soon anyway," Hermione smiled.   
  


"Eh, not quite..." Ginny groaned. "I usually get up round 7... You'd better have a good excuse for waking me so early!"   
  


"I have!" Hermione said, turning angry again. "Snape is just... so demanding!" She tried to ignore Ginny's didn't-I-say-so look. "He's been commanding me since the very beginning, but now he's just... I am not the right person to fly, Ginny, for Merlin's sake, I know I don't look elegant on a broom, and I know I can't do any leaps and pirouettes! But when Snape glares at me like that, I feel like I have no choice, so I try... And if I fail, he gets all angry, and if I manage to succeed, he glares at me anyway! It's hopeless.   
  


"And not just that, but also the ridiculous time I need to practice... 4 am isn't a very normal time! I can barely get any sleep, and that's showing in my test results! Last Arithmancy test I only had 197 out of 200 correct!"   
  


Ginny had almost fallen asleep again, but now did her best to open her eyes. "But if you don't like it, 'Mione, then why don't you just tell him? Surely you are both old enough to talk it out? And if you are sure you want to stop, then that really is your choice!" she said drowsily, hoping that if she'd give her friend some good advice she'd let her go back to bed again.   
  


Obviously it worked.   
  


Hermione was quiet for some time, thinking about Ginny's words. "Perhaps you're right... Yea, I should probably just tell him... Yea, I'll just do that. Thanks, Ginny," Hermione smiled. She stood up, and went to her dormitory.   
  


Ginny sighed, almost sleeping already. There was no point in returning to her bed. This chair would do fine.   
  


- -- - -- - -- -   
  


The next night, however, Hermione lost all her courage to say what she wanted as soon as she saw Snape. He seemed very annoyed already, but she forced herself to greet him anyway.   
  


"Good... night, Professor," she said hesitatingly.   
  


Snape narrowed his eyes suspiciously at her. "Good night," he responded coolly, and Hermione suddenly felt very little. How could she have even thought she could ask him to treat her with some more respect? Him, the most feared and most loathed Professor on Hogwarts? The only ones he paid respect to were... well, Voldemort and Dumbledore, maybe?   
  


So who did she think she was, really?   
  


Without Hermione saying a thing at all, she and Snape started that night's practice.   
  


Believe it or not, but Hermione had actually gained experience on a broom, despite her disliking towards it all. They had been practicing only for a week or so, but the trainings had been very intense, and Hermione could already do a back flip and some corkscrew-move fluently.   
  


In her and anybody else's opinion, at least.   
  


"Since you still can't manage to do that back flip the way it is ought to be done, you'll be practicing it again this time," Snape said, shooting a stern look into Hermione's direction. She could feel herself shrinking in front of him.   
  


They stared at each other for some time, Hermione waiting for a sign to begin, Snape waiting for her to take off into the sky. It was awkward, and nobody moved.   
  


"Oh," Hermione then said, not quite knowing what to do, and then stumbled on her broom and hastily took off. Snape followed soon after.   
  


Concentrating as well as she could, Hermione pulled the top of the broom towards, not slowly as in the beginning, but fast, causing her to make a wonderful back flip. She looked up at Snape.   
  


"Well, what are you looking at?" he snapped. "Try again!"   
  


Sighing, Hermione did another flip. And another one. And another. And another. Between the flips she constantly glanced up at Snape, waiting for any sign of approval. None was shown. Frustrated by this, and also a bit dizzy, Hermione stopped.   
  


"What _is_ wrong with it then?" she asked desperately.   
  


"Everything! You look like some clumsy Bowtruckle that's clinging to its tree like it's scared to fell off!" he answered, filling Hermione with indignation.   
  


"Excuse me?" she asked, feeling too offended to say anything else at that moment.   
  


Snape flew over to her, obviously exasperated by this all. "Listen girl! I'm planning to win this contest--"   
  


"And I'm planning to do my best!" Hermione retorted, feeling tears starting to make her eyes wet. "And that's all I can ever do! And if that's not enough, then..."   
  


Afraid she'd start crying in front of her professor, she turned her broom away and flew back to the ground as fast as she could. Throwing the damned broom on the ground, she ran back to the castle.   
  


Well, she took back everything nice she had _ever_ said about the professor.   
  
  
  
  


TBC 


	10. The interview

A/N: I'm so sorry. I'm so incredibly sorry this took me so long. 16 whole days, I know, I feel so bad. Bad, bad author. I was just stuck, and I waited for inspiration to come to me. But when after two weeks still nothing had come, I just forced myself to write this chapter. This one may be a bit weird, but at least I've already got some ideas for the next chapters! Wow, I'm already at chapter 10.   
  


**The Perfectionist**   
  


By Mykerinos   
  


Chapter Ten: The interview   
  


Severus flew back to the ground as well. Great. Now he had made her cry, and they again couldn't finish tonight's training. Was she _ever _going to learn how to fly properly?   
  


"Severus!" a painfully cheerful voice made Severus look up.   
  


"Wonderful. The only person who could make this all even worse has to show up as well," Severus muttered irritated. "What are you doing her, Remus?"   
  


"Just checking up on you, of course!" Remus smiled kindly. "How's it going?"   
  


"That's none of your business," Severus snapped, not willing to share tonight's events with him.   
  


"I know, but I saw Hermione running back into the castle, crying. I got worried," he explained, meaning it.   
  


"Well, nothing to be worried about, werewolf, believe me," Severus grunted, resizing the brooms to minimal format and putting them in the pocket of his robe. He started to walk back to the castle, Remus following closely.   
  


"By the way," Remus said, changing his tone and the subject. "Did I tell you already the contest is big news, also in other countries? There will be a lot of reporters, even from overseas. Tomorrow there will be some reporter from the Daily Prophet as well, to interview some of the participants."   
  


Something in Remus' way of saying made him feel uncomfortable. "And?" he asked, shooting him a glare that surely would've given Neville Longbottom a spontaneous heart-attack.   
  


"And," Remus said. "When I accidentally told them you are also one of the participants, they insisted on an interview with you and Miss Granger..."   
  


Severus snorted, getting a weird look from Remus. "What?"   
  


"Don't be silly!" Severus exclaimed. "You don't certainly think I'm going to give that interview to them, do you?"   
  


Remus frowned.   
  


- -- - -- - -- -   
  


"So, you must be Severus Snape and Hermione Granger then!"   
  


A woman in pink robes and long brown hair smiled at them from across the table in the library Severus and Granger were sitting on.   
  


Severus glared. Granger wasn't happy either, but Severus could see her give a reluctant nod.   
  


Damn that Remus. Damn that woman! Wasn't blackmailing against the law? Forcing him to answer questions or else publishing some nasty piece revealing some embarrassing facts about him in her paper. He bet Remus had accidentally, just as accidentally as he had mentioned Severus' name, mentioned those facts to her.   
  


So now he sat here. When he had fetched the Granger girl, he had whispered some short instructions in her ear, so she wouldn't make a complete fool out of them, or give anything away.   
  


Short answers. Yes. No. Not "I forgot", that makes you look stupid.   
  


She had just given him an angry look. Obviously she still felt offended.   
  


"Well, my name is Mary Skeeter, and yes, I am Rita Skeeter's cousin..." the woman smiled. Severus made a sound of annoyance. At least she didn't have a hexed quill.   
  


"Very well.... Let's get to the interview then. Professor Snape, you teach Potions, don't you?" she asked.   
  


"I do," he answered, crossing his arms and tapping his fingers on his arm. He wondered how long this was going to take.   
  


"And you are a student in your seventh year, correct?" she asked Granger.   
  


"I am," Granger answered curtly.   
  


"And Harry Potter happens to be your best friend?"   
  


"He does,"   
  


"Interesting! And Professor Snape here is your Professor, right?"   
  


"He is,"   
  


"And he's also your partner in the contest?"   
  


"Yes,"   
  


"How did that happen?"   
  


Silence.   
  


The sound of students playing outside could be heard here. The woman was scribbling some things down, then she stopped, looking up at Granger.   
  


More silence.   
  


Severus turned his head to look at her as well, wondering if she was going to answer. She was just staring at the table. No sign of any emotion on her face.   
  


"Hello?" the woman asked, waving her hand.   
  


"Ask _him_," she jerked her head aggressively to Severus. He felt both women staring at him.   
  


"No comments," Severus just answered, getting more frustrated.   
  


The woman sighed, and sat back, rubbing her forehead with the back of her hand. "Listen, I still have got some interesting rumours I could spread--"   
  


"You're blackmailing me," Severus stated through gritted teeth.   
  


"That's right," She smiled broadly. Severus felt his anger rise. Glaring at Hermione, he saw she was smiling as well. She knew just as much he had no choice, and obviously she found this amusing. Furiously he jumped up from his chair.   
  


"Fine, if you need to know so desperately!" he barked, becoming quite desperate himself as well. His mind was racing to come up with something to talk him out of this. Surely he couldn't tell about the bet. But he couldn't just walk away either, or she'd certainly publish those 'facts' about him in her paper.   
  


"When the contest was introduced to the students, originally nobody was really enthusiastic..." he drawled, relieved for this sudden solution. "So I thought that if I'd enter with someone else, more people would follow. Miss Granger volunteered, did you not, Miss Granger?" He shot her a piercing look, but she just stared back, smiling. For a moment Severus was scared she wouldn't play along.   
  


"Yes, I did," she finally said.   
  


The woman nodded approvingly, and Severus felt relieved. "Now, if you don't mind, I still have some other work to do," he said.   
  


"But we've just started!" the woman exclaimed indignantly. Severus had left already.   
  
  
  
  


TBC 


	11. Making up

A/N: Hey there! If you just *happen* to run into Alan Rickman one of these days, please tell him Mykerinos is very sorry she didn't send a postcard. She was just too scared. Yeah. But here's another chapter. Merlins, eleven chapters already, and still nothing has happened that can fall under the category of "Romance". Don't hate me; I'm thinking, I'm thinking hard!   
  


**The Perfectionist**   
  


By Mykerinos   
  


Chapter Eleven: Making up   
  


Hermione sent an owl that afternoon. "I'm not coming tonight." it said. It was scribbled a bit sloppy, since she had still felt angry. Which was one of the reasons she wasn't coming also.   
  


The response came faster than she had expected. A few minutes later, when she was on her way to the Great Hall for dinner, she heard Snape's icy voice from behind her.   
  


"What's _this_?"   
  


Hermione turned to face him and saw he was holding her message.   
  


"I'm not coming," she answered simply, suppressing the anger that welled up inside at the sight of him here.   
  


"Don't be silly, I thought I was very clear last night about making sacrifices," he said loudly.   
  


"Yes, you were extremely clear," she agreed, "but I'm not coming,"   
  


She saw he had difficulties controlling his anger, and somewhere she found this very amusing. He probably wasn't accustomed to students standing up against him. Smiling irritated him even more, and he grabbed her arm firmly, and dragged her into a nearby class room.   
  


"We had an agreement," he said. "That we'd practice every night. You can't just cancel,"   
  


Hermione got pretty agitated now as well. What was he thinking? "Well, I'm not coming." she said again. "I'm sorry, but what part of it do you not understand?"   
  


"Watch it, Granger, I might be your partner in that contest, I'm still your teacher," he whispered dangerously.   
  


"Oh, so you do realise we're partners?" Hermione said, growing less scared of him with every second. "Because you haven't really been treating me like one should treat a partner, have you?"   
  


"What are you talking about?" Snape asked in an annoyed tone.   
  


"I'm talking about the fact that you didn't even apologise for being so rude to me the other night!" Hermione yelled. "That you didn't even thank me for saving your ass this noon!"   
  


He gave her a weird look. "I'm not going to beg--"   
  


"For almost 7 years you've been my teacher, and never, I repeat, _never _have you ever given _any_ sign of approval! I'm not asking you to beg, I'm asking for a bit of respect!" Hermione crossed her arms and looked away, angrily.   
  


The room fell silent again.   
  


- -- - -- - -- - 

Severus gritted his teeth. He realised two things. The first thing was that if he didn't apologize right now, the Granger girl would step out of the contest, Remus would win, and his pride would be all ruined. He couldn't let that happen.   
  


The second thing though, was that if he _did_ apologize, if he, Potions master and most-feared professor of Hogwarts, would apologize to that Granger girl, a student, everybody would find out, nobody would longer fear him, and his pride would be ruined anyway.   
  


That was a difficult choice, and Severus felt his teeth ache as he gritted them even harder. He had seen this coming, and he had tried to evade it by being stern, by scaring her, but obviously he had crossed a line somewhere, which had turned the girl's fear into anger.   
  


He looked at her. She didn't look very scared. Yelling at her and deducting more points probably wouldn't help. Snorting would just make the situation worse. Oh Merlin. He was stuck.   
  


He just stood there, thinking, when Granger eventually gave an annoyed sigh, and walked to the door to leave. "I really don't see what's so hard," she said.   
  


Severus sighed also, and grabbed her shoulder just in time. "Wait," he muttered. She looked up, surprised.   
  


Perhaps she was right. She didn't really look like someone who'd go blabbing so easily. In fact, he hadn't heard one rumour about him since they had started training. She had never tried to take pictures. Had never tried to embarrass him in any other way. So why would she take advantage of this?   
  


"I apologize," he said through clenched teeth, "For offending you,"   
  


A pair of brown eyes stared at him expectantly. "And?"   
  


"And thank you for helping me out. Are you satisfied now?" he asked.   
  


Suddenly the girl looked a bit brighter again. "I am," she answered, and left the room, secretly smiling. "See you tonight, professor!"   
  


Severus gave a sigh.   
  
  
  
  


TBC 


	12. Blame the rules

A/N: Going to respond to some reviewers here, if you don't mind ^_^ Ah heck, they all just made me suddenly feel so cheerful. I'll just respond to them all. 

Katie Scarlette: Thanks! For both the compliments and the suggestion! That really had my mind coming up with all kinds of ideas... *evil grin* 

Eternal Queen: Lol, you're right. 

plastic: *tries to imagine AR as a woman* *runs away, screaming* 

BHSBandGeek2005: Yeah, I think I could have written him as some clumsy clown on a broom, but that would've been too sad :) 

Elfmoon87: Gotta keep that in mind! 

JoeBob1379: Hehe! Now you mention it... Yes, actually, they have something in common... Now I think about it, didn't I start this fic around the same time Beauty and the Beast got released on DVD? Wow, scary! 

bluestarfish: You're right, that apology really had to come of his toes! But it was there anyway, and at least it had _some _effect on 'Mione! 

A Rose By Any Other Name, lollylips3: Thanks! And I _will_ continue, don't worry :)   
  


**The Perfectionist**   
  


By Mykerinos   
  


Chapter Twelve: Blame the rules   
  


That night they stood at the now familiar Quidditch field again.   
  


Hermione watched as Snape grabbed one small broom out of his pocket and shook it a few times, the spell wearing off, and the broom regaining its original size.   
  


"Erm, sir? Where's my broom?" Hermione asked.   
  


"In the broom shed," Snape answered curtly. When no explanation followed, Hermione frowned. Snape rolled his eyes. "The rules of the contest require that the two participants have to do at least one act on the same broom,"   
  


Hermione yelped, and gave him a weird look.   
  


"These are the rules, I can't help it," Snape snapped. "Now get on the broom,"   
  


Still hesitating, Hermione walked over to Snape and the broom. She hadn't exactly expected this. Flying with Snape hanging in the air right beside you was worse enough; Actually flying _with_ Snape was something most people wouldn't even do for a million of galleons.   
  


But she hadn't got a real choice, had she?   
  


Carefully stepping on the broom, she suddenly felt very uncomfortable. Where to hold on to? Before she could ask, Snape had taken off, and Hermione felt how she began to fall backwards. In a reaction, she swung her arms around and grabbed for the only thing she could grab for -- Snape.   
  


Before she knew what she was doing, she was clinging to his left tightly, afraid she'd fall.   
  


"Miss Granger," came the highly annoyed voice of Snape, and she could actually feel the vibrations of his voice going through his body. "Could you please remove your hands from me?"   
  


"I would, sir," Hermione said in a somewhat high voice. "If I had anything else to hold on to,"   
  


She was just glad it was dark, and he couldn't see her face, because she was blushing fiercely. This was just too close! Glancing up at Snape, she saw his face was stern and unreadable as ever.   
  


"We're going to do a double back flip now," he announced. "Ready?"   
  


Immediately she felt how he pulled the broom up, and although she had done back flips before, it was a whole new experience doing one without controlling the broom herself. Scared, she made herself smaller and pressed her head against his back, holding on as tightly as she could. She could barely breathe, but when she did so, she was surprised by the smell of herbs.   
  


And no, not stinky, awfully smelling herbs, but herbs that reminded her of forests, oceans, with happy animals and rays of sunlight creating wonderful sceneries. For a moment she forgot who she was clinging to.   
  


And then they were flying horizontally again, and Hermione finally managed to let go a bit.   
  


"Well, we've certainly got to work on that..." she heard Snape mutter. "But not tonight,"   
  


Hermione didn't dare to object as they flew back to the ground again, and silently she walked back to the castle. Once she had got inside, and knew he couldn't see her anymore, she started running back to her dormitory. Not quite knowing what to think, she let herself fall on her bed, staring at her hands. The smell of herbs was still stinging her nose.   
  


- -- - -- - -- -   
  


"On one broom?" Ginny exclaimed. "I can see how you're so upset now! How terrible!"   
  


They were having breakfast in the Great Hall, but Hermione wasn't eating. She had just told Ginny about last night's 'happenings'.   
  


"No, it wasn't!" Hermione said, rubbing her eyes. "And that's what's wrong. It didn't feel terrible. At all. Especially not when I smelled those herbs..."   
  


"You think he poisoned you in some way?" Ginny asked, worried.   
  


Hermione laughed, tension falling away. "No, of course not! He wouldn't do that!"   
  


Ginny scratched her nose, pouring some pumpkin juice into her glass. Glancing up at Snape, she smiled. "You do have a thing with noses, haven't you?"   
  


"Ha-ha," Hermione said and she poked her friend, remembering Viktor Krum, from a few years ago. Then she glanced up at Snape also, who was stirring his tea silently. Absent-mindedly.   
  


Ha-ha.   
  
  
  
  


TBC 


	13. Inhale, exhale

A/N: Hehe, you thought I was gone, didn't you? Well, here I am again, WITH a chapter.   
  


**The Perfectionist**   
  


By Mykerinos   
  


Chapter Thirteen: Inhale, exhale   
  


"So, you think it's okay?" Hermione asked Harry.   
  


"I guess so," he answered, holding the essay out for Hermione to take it back. Which she didn't.   
  


"Could you please just read it one more time, and tell me what you think I should change? My motto is that improvement is always possible," Hermione started biting her nails as soon as she had stopped speaking.   
  


Harry sighed. "Hermione, I can't see why you're so nervous about this essay. I mean, it's just another essay on Potions, nothing unusual!"   
  


"You don't get it," Hermione said, as Professor McGonagall dismissed the class, and everybody started packing their stuff. Hermione looked up, surprised. Was the lesson over already? That meant they had Potions now...   
  


Trying to stay calm, she packed her things also, and slowly stood up, following Harry and Ron to the dungeons. This was just another Potions lesson, nothing interesting...   
  


As they walked into the class room, Hermione got the urge to just run to her chair and bury herself in her books... Instead, she just sat down quietly, and waited for the lesson to begin.   
  


Then Snape emerged from the shadows, and immediately the class fell silent. He sat down behind his desk, looking a few scared Gryffindors in the eye. Even after 7 years Snape still managed to scare Neville Longbottom with a mere glare.   
  


"If you all hand over your essays to Mr Malfoy, we can start today's lesson," he said, silkily and intimidating as ever.   
  


Afraid to look up and face him, Hermione pretended she was busy reading.   
  


Draco stood up with a grin, and collected the essays. When he arrived at Hermione's place, she didn't notice him.   
  


"Your essay, mudblood," he sneered silently so nobody but Hermione would hear it. Stuffing her essay into his hands and shooting him a disgusted look, she hoped her essay would be sufficient.   
  


When Draco had collected the essays and given them to Snape, the professor nodded curtly.   
  


"On page 193 you've found instructions on how to prepare the Magnetism potion," he said, standing up from his desk. "The Magnetism potion has 3 distinguishing properties. Which 3?"   
  


As a reaction, Hermione almost put out her hand, but then she realised where she was, and suddenly she did no longer want to put out her hand and answer that question... not now.   
  


Hermione saw that everybody was staring at her in disbelief. Obviously they had never seen Hermione _not_ volunteering to answer a question in all those 7 years. And they were right, because she had always put out her hand, even when she had known it had been useless, and she had taken every opportunity to share the things she knew from books with her class mates.   
  


Perhaps Harry and Ron were surprised the most.   
  


"Something wrong, Hermione?" Harry asked, a worried look on his face.   
  


"No, I'm fine!" Hermione whispered back, pretending she was very busy making notes.   
  


"Don't you -- don't you know the answer?" Ron asked, his voice trembling.   
  


"Of course I do," Hermione snapped. "It's just... my arm. It hurts," Hermione lied, feeling her face turning red. She was a terrible liar.   
  


"I don't recall giving permission to confer," Snape said icily, turning all three silent for which Hermione was grateful. At least she didn't have to explain this all now. "Weasley, which are the 3 distinguishing properties of the Magnetism potion?"   
  


Ron got a blank look on his face, thinking hard. "It has a grey color... has a sweet scent... and it attracts things to each other?"   
  


Snape curled his lip. "Is that a question or an answer, Mr Weasley?" he sneered, circling around their three tables like an animal circling around its prey. Some Slytherins snickered dumbly.   
  


"An answer, sir," Ron replied, shrinking in his chair.   
  


Snape stood stil for a moment, as if considering this answer. Then he walked back to his desk. "The Magnetism potion indeed has a dark grey color, with, surprisingly, a smell that reminds one sooner of flowers than of iron. As the name does suspect, it is used to have things that are not of metal attract each other, like magnets do. It makes use of 2 strong ingredients: the tail of a fire toad and yellow beetle eyes,"   
  


Although Hermione already knew this, she made notes of it anyway. Just in case.   
  


The rest of the lesson they spent brewing the potion. Fortunately for Hermione she got paired up with Neville, who didn't ask questions but just stayed his clumsy self. Hermione's mind wasn't exactly with the potion. She found herself constantly glancing up at Snape who was walking around, controlling the potions, and when she looked back again because Neville was pulling her sleeve, she saw that the potion had turned yellow.   
  


"By Merlin, Neville, what did you do?!" Hermione whispered, desperately trying to think up a way to repair this.   
  


"I don't know, I -- I..."   
  


"... put in _two_ yellow beetle eyes instead of one," a voice came from behind. Both Hermione and Neville turned around and looked up in terror at their professor. Hermione felt panic taking over her mind. _--Don't inhale! Whatever you do, just don't inhale!-- _a small voice yelled inside of her.   
  


"I have told thrice what will happen when you put in too much yellow beetle eyes, and still you manage to ruin this potion with an overdose of beetle eyes..."   
  


Hermione felt her head turning red because of a lack of oxygen, and she couldn't think clearly. _--Need to breathe... I can't inhale!--_   
  


"You are in your seventh year, how can you still be so thick?" Snape continued, glaring at Neville.   
  


But for once Neville's attention wasn't with Snape, but with Hermione. "'Mione, are you alright?!" he asked, terrified.   
  


"I'm. Fine." Hermione said through clenched teeth, her face unnaturally red. Snape frowned surprised, and then something snapped inside Hermione.   
  


Inhaling greedily, she welcomed the air, and exploded into loud chokes. As a reaction, Neville swung his arms around, scared, and knocked over the cauldron with the yellow substance. The stinky liquid spread everywhere, and people yelled, jumping away, while Hermione was still choking.   
  


Snape stood in the middle of this total disorder, and tried to calm his class down. When nobody listened, he grabbed his wand and cast the sonorus spell on himself.   
  


"**SILENCE!!**" his voice echoed through the dungeons, and it was possibly heard out of the dungeons as well.   
  


Everything and everyone fell silent, and Hermione's choking was the only sound in the class room. Tears were streaming down her cheeks, and her voice was starting to become raw.   
  


Ending the spell, Snape started to give orders. "Neville -- No, Draco, clean that potion. Weasley, bring Granger to the Hospital Wing. The rest, get back to work!"   
  


Hermione felt Ron grab her arm and drag her away. As soon as they had got out of the class room, Hermione fainted.   
  
  
  
  


TBC 


	14. Visits

A/N: Sorry if this is somewhat short! I just wanted to upload _something_. Anyway. Thanks for all the reviews. I've never had so many reviews for any other story I've ever written... *sobs* Thank you!! *collapse* Yes, well. The next chapter will probably be more fun than this one...   
  


**The Perfectionist**   
  


By Mykerinos   
  


Chapter Fourteen: Visits   
  


"Hey there!" a soft voice whispered. Hermione opened her eyes and saw Ginny sitting beside the hospital bed Hermione was laying in.   
  


"What--" Hermione started, but stopped as her throat ached horribly and her voice sounded awfully strange. "Merlin, that hurts..."   
  


"I can imagine! I heard from Ron you've been choking for about 10 minutes..." Ginny said.   
  


"Oh, yes..." Hermione replied, remembering what had happened. There was a short silence that the younger one broke.   
  


"What happened? They say you were so scared of Snape you almost stifled..."   
  


Hermione looked away. Well, they were right in some way... "I just didn't want to smell him again," she explained. "I tried to hold my breath, but he just stood there and stood there..."   
  


Ginny exploded into laughter, and Hermione realised how silly that must've sounded. "I swear, at that moment it was all I could do!" she tried to defend herself.   
  


"Couldn't you just breathe through your mouth?" Ginny asked between giggles.   
  


"I didn't think of that!" Hermione shrugged.   
  


"Oh Merlin, Hermione," Ginny laughed. "In the hospital twice in just a few weeks because of that git... Who would've thought?"   
  


"Not funny!" Hermione exclaimed, her raw voice quavering, but she smiled despite herself.   
  


- -- - -- - -- -   
  


Severus let himself fall into his chair with a sigh as soon as he had got to his chambers. Merlin, what a day. Or what a week, what a month, for that matter.   
  


What had he got himself into when he had made that bet? Who would've thought he'd ever make a bet? Who would've thought a girl would ever cling to him, Severus Snape, like that Granger girl had done?   
  


Of course it had been nothing, she had just prevented herself from falling, but still he didn't feel comfortable. And then today...   
  


A knock on the door startled him from his thoughts. "Who's there?" he grumbled.   
  


"A friend!" the cheerful voice of Remus Lupin came. Sighing, Severus let his head fall forward.   
  


The door was pushed open, and Remus walked in. He had a smile on his face that Severus did not like at all.   
  


"So, I heard you tried to stifle a student?" he said casually, sitting down on a chair opposite Severus, who just glared.   
  


"And whom did you hear that from?" he asked, frowning.   
  


"Just rumours, just rumours... They say you scared her so much she almost choked!" He laughed. "I've always admired how you are able to control your students, but your have really overdone yourself this time, old pal!"   
  


Gritting his teeth to refrain himself from strangling this guy who was calling him 'old pal', his response was cold. "I did not do anything out of ordinary, Remus. I can't help it Miss Granger is incapable of controlling her respiration,"   
  


Remus eyes lighted up at that, and Severus knew he had said something wrong. "Hermione? It was her?" he smiled. "Interesting!"   
  


"Please, werewolf, save me your ramblings," Severus rolled his eyes.   
  


Remus stood from his chair and looked around the room. "Did you decorate this yourself?" he changed the subject suddenly.   
  


"I did... Don't touch that!"   
  


Remus immediately dropped the small sculpture he had been looking at. It fell on the ground and rolled under a chair. "Oops..." He lowered himself to the ground and looked under the chair. As he did so, a painting on the wall caught his eye. Leaving the sculpture for what it was, he stood up again. "Why isn't the painting moving?" he asked curiously.   
  


"I like to have some peace in my rooms.... so moving paintings or annoying werewolves don't actually fit in," Severus glared.   
  


Glancing to the chair one more time, Remus coughed. "Well, I think I'll just go now, I still have some work to do. It's always nice chatting with you, Severus!" he smiled, and left the room.   
  


Severus sighed. "Accio," he whispered, flinging his wand a little, and the little sculpture flew into his hands. He stared at it. "Sure, werewolf. Whatever."   
  
  
  
  


TBC 


	15. Time flies, when one's having fun?

A/N: Well, I'm sorry I didn't update in ages.... The fic was just starting to get boring, so I figured I'd just delete it, but then after a month or so I read those wonderful reviews again, and then... well, I suddenly just _wanted_ to write another chapter. That's what I did. Short, I know, but the contest is drawing closer.... waaaaah... I've got some evil ideas for that one, hehe.   
  


**The Perfectionist**   
  


By Mykerinos   
  


Chapter Fifteen: Time flies... when one's having fun?   
  


Days went by, and every night they practiced. Back flips, turn-overs, loopings, all things else and endless combinations of it all. There were still moves she didn't like, and judging from the moody and dissatisfied comments of Snape, who had still remained a cold and sarcastic bastard, it was far from perfect, but Hermione's flying skills had improved immensely over the past few weeks.   
  


And she had to admit that she probably would have never reached that with Madame's Hooch flying lessons, not even with a year of training. Because, if Snape had been the cheesy type of man to have motto's, his most certainly would have been, 'There's always room for improvement!'   
  


Never would he let Hermione go away with just the tiniest of a mistake. Always would he be critical and tell her to hold her arm still or move around somewhat more graciously for once. But Hermione would follow the advice (or orders, as some might call it), until there was just nothing left for Snape to comment on.   
  


And this silence, after the 185th looping or the 327th corkscrew move, Hermione would consider a compliment, as she knew she shouldn't expect any literal compliments from the man.   
  


After nights of practicing with one and the same person, you do get a bond, Hermione could confirm that. _Even _if that person is perhaps the most loathed and dislikeable human being in the entire universe.   
  


Hermione sometimes wondered where Snape had learned to fly so well. She had never considered him the broom type -- even though he had refereed Quidditch matches various times. Had he been in some Quidditch team when he had been young perhaps?   
  


"We have just two weeks till the contest," Snape said one night, as they entered the gate to the Quidditch field. "It's time to put those moves together. Follow me,"   
  


And he took off, Hermione following closely behind.   
  


- -- - -- - -- -   
  


As they landed on the solid ground, Hermione handed the broom back to Snape, and decided to break the usual silence for once. "I quite like it," she said, glancing up at Snape. "The entire thing, I mean," He frowned. "No, really," she said again.   
  


There was a silence, and when Hermione didn't expect him to respond to her comment, he did so anyway.   
  


"Thank you,"   
  


It was short, and it had sounded formal indeed, but it had still been a thank you. So he was capable of showing appreciation after all!   
  


"You're welcome," she smiled, and looked up at her professor as they walked back to the castle.   
  


"What are you staring at?" Snape growled, meeting her gaze.   
  


"Nothin'," she grinned, and turned her head back to the castle in front of them. Almost all the lights were out, most people were asleep now.   
  


Nothing. Tonight had been hard and it had been difficult, but at the end of it she had liked it. And now she actually felt like she could do it. They could win that contest. She wanted to win that contest. With Snape. So what was wrong then? Nothing. She was feeling just fine.   
  
  
  
  


TBC 


	16. Lake by moonlight

A/N: Thank you for the reviews ^^ Finally a chapter that's somewhat longer than what I've been writing lately. Heh, I hope I didn't got too badly carried away here... Oh, and I'm sorry if the format sucks. Strange, I've never had any problems with the format I was using, but now it suddenly was all weird so I had to try like, 10 different versions :P Well, enough ranting and complaining, on to the story...

  


**The Perfectionist**

  


By Mykerinos

  


Chapter Sixteen: Lake by moonlight

  


Hermione stared at the ceiling. It was midnight, and she was laying in her bed. For the first time in weeks, they hadn't practiced for the contest.

  


Hermione had been staring at the ceiling for a while now, having lost track of the time. It could've been hours, but it could've been just 15 minutes as well. Either way, the other girls in the dormitory were all asleep.

  


But then again, they didn't have no flying contest tomorrow.

  


Tomorrow, they would just be sitting at the tribune, applauding for the good acts, eating some, relaxing, laughing about some curly-haired girl that would fall off of her broom... Then afterwards they'd talk about it some more, and forget about it.

  


For Hermione, tomorrow would be THE day. The day she had been doing it all for. There was no turning back, and she certainly could not fail. The entire act Snape had come up with was amazing; if they'd both do what they had to do, like they had practiced, then there was no way they could be defeated. But what if she failed? Imagine what would happen then...

  


People would be laughing at her, staring at her mockingly in the halls, and at her graduation there would be an embarrassing reference to the contest she'd messed up...

  


And of course, Snape would be furious. She felt her stomach lurch at the mere thought of what the look on his face might be if she failed. He would hate her, regret all the moments of practising, look away whenever she was near.

  


Now, a year ago, she wouldn't have cared about all that. Then she would've only worried that he might give her lower grades.

  


Sighing, Hermione stood up and quietly slipped out of bed. Like she had done uncountable times before, she made her way outside, avoiding the places where teachers were often patrolling and Peeves was lurking. She was in such hurry to get out, that she had forgotten to put on shoes or a cloak, and as she opened the backdoor to the fields of Hogwarts, a cold wind slapped her in the face.

  


Hesitatingly, she closed the door behind and looked around for a quiet place to sit. She remembered this spot hidden behind trees where she had sometimes done her homework in peace if it had been too hot to sit in the library. The last time she had been there though, was a while back, and she hoped she still knew where it was.

  


Taking the directions her mind gave, Hermione soon found the familiar gap in the brushwood and pushed the branches with their leaves away, and tried to make her way through the shrubs. One branch slipped out of her hand to soon, and made an ugly scratch in her face. Biting her lip, Hermione continued, and finally saw she was near the end. As she pushed aside the last few branches, she didn't see what she had expected.

  


"Sir!" she said surprised, startling. "I--I'm sorry, I didn't know..."

  


"Well, when we finally decide to not practice for once, you still know manage to run into me anyway..." Snape drawled.

  


Hermione flushed. "I'm sorry... do you mind if I, er, sit down?" she asked.

  


"Sure," Snape replied.

  


"'Sure, I mind,' or 'Sure, you can--'"

  


"Sure, I mind, but I can't do anything to stop you from sitting down, now can I?" he interrupted her annoyed.

  


"Er, right," Hermione said, wanting to hit herself for being so stupid. She sat down, and stared at the calm water and the moon that was reflected in it. Normally this could empty her mind from all thoughts, but now, it was of no use.

  


"Are you nervous?" Snape then asked.

  


Hermione twitched. For the contest, a little. For sitting here... well, there were no words that could possibly describe how she was feeling. "Kinda," she answered. "I'm just... afraid, afraid I'll do something wrong or that the tension will cause me to fall off of my broom, or that I'll forget the moves," She sighed. "Or that I simply won't be good enough..."

  


"If you're not good enough to do it, nobody is," he stated bluntly.

  


Hermione felt a heavy lump in her throat. "Thank you. Do you really think we can win?"

  


"Certainly," He snapped his head into her direction, and she could see the determined look on his face, his eyes shooting fire. It startled her.

  


"I'm sorry!" she blurted out, not knowing herself what she was apologising for. Snape raised his eyebrow.

  


"What were you doing here anyway?" Hermione quickly changed the subject.

  


"Contemplating my thoughts. You?"

  


"The same, actually," she smiled.

  


They continued to stare at the lake for several moments. Now the tension had been broken, Hermione started to feel the cold wind that directly went through her thin night robe. As much as she tried to fight it, eventually she was shaking terribly, and hugging her legs for warmth no longer helped either.

  


When her teeth started to clatter noisily, Snape looked up. Then, with one swift movement he took his cloak and hold it out for her. "Here," he offered, a blank look on his face.

  


Hermione looked up at him, and in her eyes was something more than just gratefulness as she reached out and thankfully wrapped the still warm cloak around her body. As she inhaled, she could smell the now somewhat familiar, but ever delighting smell of herbs that she had smelled before when they had been practicing flying.

  


For a moment she felt him staring at her, but his face was unreadable as ever, so this time it was her turn to ask, "What?"

  


He didn't respond, just turned his head back to the water. And there they sat a while, staring at the lake, until Snape finally stood up and stretched his back. 

  


"I'll be heading back to the castle now. I'll see you tomorrow. And don't be late," 

  


Hermione nodded, and watched him leave through the gap in the brushwood. When he was gone Hermione let out a heavy sigh and let herself fall back on the grass, suddenly becoming aware of the cloak she was still holding.

  


TBC


	17. Preparations are being made

A/N: Sorry, again, for letting you wait. After some serious death threats I'd decided I'd better get my ass moving and my hand typing ^^ This was supposed to be longer, but I am going on a one-week vacation and wanted to upload this before I go... But yes, well, I hope you all enjoyed book 5... There won't be any spoilers in this story, but I'm glad the book didn't kinda mess up mine. Although after reading it I did realise Remus is rather out of character here... But let's not think about it and just get on with it ^^;

  
  


**The Perfectionist**

  
  


By Mykerinos

  
  


Chapter Seventeen: Preparations are being made

  
  


Severus was in his potions lab, preparing a potion. It didn't serve a particular purpose, but brewing potions had always calmed him down. It could clear his mind from all thoughts by adding the right ingredients in the right doses at the right time. No matter how big your worries were, in this lab the potions required your complete attention and more. You needed to focus, not once should your mind slip off, or it could mean your death in certain cases. 

  
  


It had always been a resort, a way out. Just like flying. Once you were in the air, there were so many things you should think of that you'd forget your problems in an instant. You had to navigate your broomstick, watch where you were going, and keep control of that amazing feeling that was threatening to take over your mind and that made you want to never land again. 

  
  


Tomorrow was the contest. He had just had an almost casual conversation with Hermione Granger. Severus had all the reason to be nervous. But he'd calm down. Soon.

  
  


"I see you're hanging out the potions master again!" a voice suddenly called from the hallway. "No drug, I hope?" 

  
  


Severus glanced up. Remus. 

  
  


"I thought you'd be practicing," Remus said. "but you weren't at the field," 

  
  


"You've been searching me? Well, I am delighted," Severus' voice dropped with sarcasm. 

  
  


Remus walked over to his colleague. Smiling, he put out his hand. "I know I've been nagging you lately, but... good luck with the contest, Severus."

  
  


Severus looked up from his cauldron, planning to return a rejecting remark, when he noticed the suddenly serious expression on Remus' face. The bastard was really wishing him luck. Sighing that he was giving in, he grabbed the other man's hand. "Shaking hands with a werewolf," he muttered under his breath. 

  
  


When he pulled back his hand, there was something in it. "What the..." he started, but when he looked up, Remus was gone. 

  
  


"I'll see you tomorrow!" it sounded from the hallway. "Sleep well!"

  
  


He looked at the small sculpture in his hand, turning it around. It looked vaguely familiar... At the bottom of it, letters were inscribed. 

  
  


"_Friendship comes when silence between two people is comfortable."_

  
  


Severus frowned, then swirled around at the sound of a cauldron clashing on the floor. Green liquid spread all around. He forgot. Potions required your _complete_ attention. 

  
  


- -- - -- - -- - 

  
  


"Hermione! Hermione, _please_ wake up! It's time, you have to get up!"

  
  


Hermione groaned. This couldn't be true. Who was waking her so early in the morning? Why did she feel so tired?

  
  


"Please, Hermione, the_ contest_!" 

  
  


Hermione shot up, this sudden reaction startling Ginny also, who had already been shaking her for quite a while.

  
  


"What time is it?!" she asked bewildered. 

  
  


"Nine O'clock," Ginny answered as Hermione jumped out of her bed, grasped some socks and robes, and stormed to the girls' bathroom, Ginny following. "I've been trying to wake you up for half an hour already!" 

  
  


"Half an hour?" Hermione gasped. "Lavender was supposed to wake me at 8! The contest begins at 10; the contestants should arrive 30 minutes earlier..." 

  
  


"Lavender tried! But every time she called you, you just growled and turned sides to continue sleeping," 

  
  


Hermione cursed herself inwardly for staying up so late the other night. She couldn't have slept more than 3 hours. As she stepped under the still cold shower, she rubbed her eyes. "I couldn't sleep last night," she told her friend, who didn't sound surprised. "So I went to the lake and sat there all night. With Snape." 

  
  


It sounded so much like an unimportant detail that Ginny at first thought Hermione had been joking. When she didn't hear her laugh, however, her voice turned serious. "With Snape?!" she exclaimed, and Hermione imagined the priceless look on her face. "Do you realize what you have just said, Hermione??" 

  
  


"Well, I do realise that it must sound silly, but it's probably nothing like you think it is,"

  
  


"There's only so many ways to interpret, 'sitting at the lake with Snape'. Just the mere fact that you can bear his presence scares me,"

  
  


Hermione laughed, despite her nerves. "I should be able to, after weeks of flying with him," she said, turning off the water and putting on her clothes.

  
  


"My hair, look at my hair!" she cried as she stared in terror at her reflection in the mirror. "How long have I got?!" 

  
  


"Twenty minutes," Ginny said, handing her her wand. 

  
  


With all the spells they knew they then tried to tame Hermione's hair, which at first wasn't successful at all. 

  
  


"Wait – wait! I might know something!" Ginny squealed at one point as Hermione desperately threw her wand into the sink. _Fortis Fugit!_" 

  
  


As a reaction, something steamed out of her wand through Hermione's hair with a loud noise like that of thunder. There was no change, or at least not in Hermione's hair; the girls' bathroom however, was full with smoke. 

  
  


"Isn't that a spell for ironing clothes?" Hermione asked, frowning. 

  
  


"Yes," the other coughed. "but I thought it might work..."

  
  


They tried more spells, and eventually Hermione's hair looked a little less bushy. They were so absorbed in their efforts to remember more spells, that they had forgotten about the time. 

  
  


"Well, 'Mione, I suppose that's the best we can do in... -- Sweet Merlin! It's a quarter to ten already!"

  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


TBC


	18. MerryGoRound

A/N: Yes, I just did the most unlikely thing ever. I UPDATED! everybody dies . Anyway, big thanks to miffi for kicking me and telling me to get this story finished. I know I've lost probably all of my readers except for her, but I just hate how I left this to die, so close to the end. There shall be one more chapter after this, I shall write it faster than last time ;;;

**The Perfectionist**

By Mykerinos

Chapter Eighteen: Merry-Go-Round

Hermione felt her heart leap, and they ran down the castle as fast as their legs could.

"Good luck, Hermione!" Ginny called as she took the entrance to the tribune. "Squeeze Snape in his arm for me, all right?"

"Thanks, I will," Hermione could hear herself mutter, though it didn't completely sounded like her own voice. Nerves were starting to take control.

_Focus, Hermione,_ she told her self. _You can do it. Left, right, spin... turn, left, right, then... what was next again? _A creepy chill slid up her back as she entered the large ridge tent that had been set up for the contestants.

"Where have you been?" an infuriated Severus Snape asked. "You are exactly twenty-two minutes and 17 seconds too late. Explain yourself!"

Hermione looked down and yelped. "I'm sorry, sir, I... overslept..."

Snorting disapprovingly, he pushed a heap of clothes into her arms. "Put this on. What, you didn't think you were going to fly in _those _robes? You can change over there," he pointed at a spot at the corner. On the floor was a blue star, magically swirling around.

Hermione stared at her professor in absolute shock, her cheeks turning red. She was not going to change in front of everyone! For the first time she noticed how crowded the ridge tent was. She saw lots of familiar faces; Draco Malfoy, the Creevey brothers, Cho Chang, Seamus, and some others.

When she spotted Harry, he waved at her, and she waved back, still feeling a little at loss. "Don't worry, Hermione," he smiled, referring to the spot in the corner. "it's a changing star, I tried it too!"

Hermione looked again, and finally recognised the shape and way of swirling of the star. Of course! She had read about it, but Snape words had confused her too much to remember. She stepped on the star with both feet, and as her second feet touched the blue-ness, she felt herself spinning insanely. Fortunately, it only lasted two seconds, and she opened her eyes again, noticing how she was now holding her robes in her hands, and wearing those Snape had given her. They were all black, and made of something so soft she couldn't remember what it was. When she walked, it felt as if she was gliding.

Looking over her shoulder, she saw that the end of her robes smoothly faded over into some sort of grey-ish smoke. She gasped, looking up at Snape. "What _is_ this?" she asked.

Snape almost looked bored compared to Hermione. "Robes. I put a spell on them. Now sit down before you spoil it for everyone already," He gestured his hand to a small wooden bench on which they sat down. Then a man walked into the ridge tent. "Cho Chang and Kevin Entwhistle!" he called, and Cho and another boy stood up, following the man out. A few more moments, and the contest would begin.

They heard another man, obviously the host, welcome the audience, and he talked about how Quidditch had always been amazing, and what an honour it was to be the host of such a spectacle. It all just flew past Hermione, who was biting her nails and couldn't think of anything else than the contest and her chance of failing miserably.

Her head shot up at Snape. "Sir, can't we practice just _one _more time?" she asked.

Snape turned his head slowly, frowning. "Right. Do you know a place big enough to do that without being seen?"

Hermione glared. How could he be so calm, when she doubted she had ever been so nervous in her entire life? She had to get a grip on herself, she realized.

Moments passed, music started, 'ooohh!'s and 'ahhhhs!'s could be heard from the audience, and finally there was the applause, indicating it had ended. The first couple had done it.

The second couple, Harry and Alicia Spinnet, was next. Hermione shakily wished them luck, and the entire thing repeated itself again – only with slightly more applause and lots of flashing of magical cameras.

Realizing she had barely any nails left, Hermione stopped biting. Everything was going to be fine!

More minutes passed, though they seemed like hours to Hermione, and all the while Snape was still sitting there, deadly calm like nothing was the matter. He hadn't said anything since her comment, and had barely moved. Hermione, on the other hand, was constantly humming nervous songs, and couldn't sit still. She wasn't the only one; other contestants were doing the same, walking up and down the room, sighing, going to the bathroom once more.

To Hermione it was the most horrible thing; the waiting never seemed to end, and with every minute that passed she grew more impatient, and more insecure.

"Hermione Granger and Severus Snape!" a voice then called, and Hermione snapped her head up, glancing up at Snape who stood up and began to walk over, the end of his robes, too, seeming to dissolve into smoke as he walked. Hermione quickly followed.

"When the host calls out your names, you step forward and the music will start," the man said and then left again, and the two of them waited as the music of the other couple came to an end. Hermione's legs were shaking, and she couldn't keep her hands still. She hadn't felt so scared ever before.

"Sir," she finally said, her voice trembling. "Sir, I don't think I can do this,"

He ignored her. Hermione grabbed his arm, begging him to look at her. "Sir!"

Then he turned his head, his cold, dark eyes meeting her desperate ones. "I hope you're not saying that all those training times were in vain." He handed her her broom.

"Give them a great applause: Hermione Granger and Severus Snape!"

Hermione then got pulled forward, and had to face hundreds of people, shouting, cheering, appplauding, singing. Hundreds of eyes looking at her; they were starting to dance in front of her eyes, making her all dizzy. The experience was overwhelming, and it took her a few moments to recover. Her nervousness changed into something completely else: a determination to show all those people what she could do.

Walking over to her place, she realized for the first time that she could do it. Snape was right: they had trained so hard for this moment, she couldn't ruin it. She wouldn't.

The music started; Hermione knew it by heart. It began slowly, in which they steadily took off, both on another side of the field. As the music accelerated, they accelerated too, flying higher and higher, until the music stopped, and they stopped too, hanging in the mid-air, their eyes meeting.

Then, when some instruments continued to play where they left off, they both turned, circling down like an eagle around its prey, then up again, making backflips on their way, using the air like it was their playground. As they flew right next to each other, doing double flips simulateously, Hermione couldn't suppress a smile. People were applauding for them, cheering for them. It felt great – being in the air together, as a team.

When Hermione jumped off of her broom and landed on Snape's with both feet, holding on to his shoulders, she knew the end of the song was drawing near, and so was the performance reaching its climax.

As Snape made an wide looping, Hermione prepared for the most difficult part: letting herself fall down in the middle of the looping, only to land on the broom again. Hermione was used to being in control – but this was something completely relying on Snape. If he didn't arrive soon enough – if he made even the slightest mistake, she'd crushs into the ground.... okay, it was better not to think of that now.

Closing her eyes, and trusting Snape completely, she let go of the broom, feeling herself soar down, falling, falling further. Nobody was breathing-- Hermione could only hear the rustling of the wind in her ears, and she counted – one, two....

The audience burst out in enormous applause as Hermione landed in Snape's arms, the broom lowering a little.

Flying back to the ground, Hermione felt as happy as she could be.

They had done it! They had done it perfectly well! As soon as she placed her feet back on earth again, she could no longer help herself; throwing herself around an astonished Snape's neck, she squealed "We did it! We did it!"

"Er, yes, I _am_ aware of that, Miss Granger." Snape said, struggling for breath.

"Oh, sorry!" Hermione blushed, and quickly let go as they walked back to the ridge tent. "Can you believe we did it?! Everything went perfect; even the final part! Did you see how they were cheering for us?"

"Don't be so happy alright, we didn't win anything yet." Snape replied, his voice a little annoyed.

"Who cares if we won or not? It was great just doing that! Why are you so fixed on winning this contest?" Hermione asked, frowning.

Snape muttered something under his breath, and Hermione just let it rest for the time being. They had done it perfectly, and there was nothing in the world that could take that away from her.


	19. All is well that ends well

A/N: So here it is, the final chapter. As some of you pointed out, I had quite some trouble writing the romance in this story, and I hope this isn't too sudden. Anyway, enjoy

**The Perfectionist**

By Mykerinos

Chapter Nineteen: All is well that ends well

As they re-entered the tent, Hermione ran over to Harry to ask him how his performance had gone – something she hadn't been able to do earlier because of her nerves. She felt a cool relaxation over her as all of the participants stepped out of the tent to line up at the field, where the winner would be announced shortly.

The host started his speech. "The history of brooms is a long and wide one. In the Muggle world they are used to clean, in our world they've become a vehicle. Quidditch is one of our most appreciated and well-known sports, and today we tried a different variant on it; figure-flying."

Hermione smiled, suddenly wondering who the hell had come up with that idea.

"First of all I want to thank you, the audience, for coming to this stadia to watch. Without you, this would've been quite pointless! Second, thanks to the all the participants as well; all of your performances were wonderful, which gave the jury a hard time deciding who would come out as the winner."

Maybe we'll be third, Hermione thought, wishing she had had the guts to watch the acts of the other couples as well.

"Well then, I'll just give the word to Remus Lupin!"

Again, there was applause as the man walked forward with twinkling eyes.

Snape groaned. "Not _him_!"

"Yes, yes," Remus said, smiling. "Let's get started right away – I'm not a man for long speeches anyway." The crowd stopped cheering now.

Snape blinked. Did that man really just wink at him? His mind was whirling now. He wasn't even listening to the results – all that was on his mind was winning. Did he even believe it himself? No. But they had done well, hadn't they? They had done their best... Granger had done her best. He had done his best. But would it be enough? After a few more seconds it all would be over. The past few months had been just about the flying, about this moment, and now he found that he couldn't even enjoy it. His mind then returned to Remus again, as he noticed from the sudden tense atmosphere that the winners were being announced.

"And the winners of the Hogwarts Figure-Flying Contest are... Hermione Granger and Severus Snape!"

"We WON!" Hermione exclaimed, jumping up.

"Congratulations, you won, mate!" Remus said, slapping Snape on the shoulder.

Snape just blinked again. "We won?" he asked, puzzled, his mouth falling open.

Before Hermione knew what was happening, people grabbed their hands and congratulated them, they were blinded by the flashing lights of cameras, loud music began to play and they were pushed to the center of the stage where a sonorus charm was placed on them. Hermione looked around the stadia, still beaming, then glanced at Severus, whose mouth was still slightly hanging open and was obviously unable to speak. Hermione cursed herself for not having prepared a speech.

"Erm, I think it's safe to say that we're both surprised... very surprised at that, too. When we entered this competition, I don't think anybody ever thought we'd win, but I suppose we did, so... erm." Hermione was at great loss for words and quickly whispered the counter charm for her voice.

The moment she did that, an enormous cheering burst out in the stadia. Everything now seemed to rush past her as in a dream. Flowers, a golden medal, wine, she all had to accept it.

Eventually, when it had got dark, and quiet had returned, Severus and Hermione stood alone in the large, empty stadia. Hermione let herself fall down in the grass and looked up into the dark sky. There were barely any stars tonight, Hermione thought. Severus lay down as well, groaning and closing his eyes in pain. "What a hell of a day," he muttered.

Hermione grinned. "Yes. A perfect ending to a hell of a time. To be honest, those last months have been the craziest of my life."

They lay there for a while in silence until Severus stood up again. "I'm getting the brooms. "he said.

Hermione nodded. A sudden sadness came over her. She looked once more into the starless night and realized that this was the last time and she hated it. An emptiness filled her heart and she wondered what she was going to do at midnights now. Sleep, a logical voice in her mind said. She turned on her left and braced herself against the cold that didn't come from the wind. She had got used to the cold night breeze, to the rhythm, to waking up, to the warming ups. She had got used to _him_.

"Are you coming?" he then called, starting her from her thoughts. He stood by the gate now, the brooms in his hand, the brooms she knew so well. She wanted to say something.

'So this is it.'

'I'll miss our practices.'

'Thanks for having given me this opportuniy.'

She bowed her head. None of these made sense, or expressed what she wanted to say. "Could we practice our act one more time? The final one? Please?" She was afraid of rejection, and when it took a while for him to answer, she began to wonder if he had heard her plea at all.

"Sure."

Relieved now she looked up and smiled, but his face and eyes were as unreadable as ever. He gave her the broom, and she silently took it. Stepping on it, she waited for Severus to give the starting sign.

The practice didn't go nearly as well as earlier that day, but Hermione knew it didn't matter. She didn't feel as happy and excited as he had done then anyway, and it showed. Remembering with almost every move the many times she had had to practice for it to get it right, and feeling how wonderful it had felt if she had finally succeeded in this, a tear rolled out of her eye and vanished in the wind.

When she let herself fall down at the end of the act and Severus caught her, she was weeping freely. More than ever she felt secure and safe in his arms and not at all uncomfortable like it had felt the first time. Even Severus' dark eyes no longer seemed cold but deep and welcoming. With a shock Hermione wondered when for Merlin's sake she had begun to feel this way. It made no sense whatsoever, and she closed her eyes and turned her head away in shame.

"I'm sorry," she said, not sure Severus would even understand what she was apologizing for. She was surprised when he grabbed her arm and turned her head back. Afraid he'd see what a fool she was, she kept her eyes closed. Her heart literally skipped a few beats when she felt his cold but soothing lips kiss her tears. Her eyes opened in astonishment, and for a moment she thought he had gone and she was left staring at the endless sky, but they were his eyes.

His face took some distance then, and Hermione realized that she was the one to give the sign now. This frightened her terribly, and when she reached out her hand it trembled so obviously, even in the dark there could be no mistake about it. His face was cold as well, she realized before she pressed her lips against his and they kissed, the warmth of his mouth forming a sharp contrast against the cold face in her hands.

Her mind, completely against Hermione's will, then played sceenes from a few months ago, in the back of her head. McGonagall, pulling her into the lady's office and making inquiries about the contest and Snape; Snape, leaving her no choice but to be his partner in the contest, without giving any explanation; and then Ginny, giving her own absurd explanation -- "Perhaps he fancies you."

Hermione felt her curiosity and sense of logic tickle her mind. Not now, she fought back. Don't ruin this moment! But she had to know _now_, now that she had the courage, so she pulled away and looked back up into Severus' eyes. "Why?" she asked, a question she had wanted to ask for so long, but she had never dared to ask. "Why did you want to participate in the flying contest with me, of all people?"

- -- - -- - -- -

Severus stared back at her. He had dreaded this moment since he had lost the bet. He had tried to make up excuses, but some would be more absurd than others. "Look, I think you'd be offended by the truth." he finally said.

"How do you know?" Her face was twisted in an expression of honest curiosity.

"Because it was a joke that got out of hand."

The expression didn't change. "How?"

Severus lifted his head a little. "I made a bet with Remus Lupin. If I lost, I was to participate in the contest with you. I lost."

Hermione's face slowly began to change. Her eyes brimmed with tears although she blinked ferociously to fight them and she continued to stare straight into Severus' eyes. "I was a bet." she said, her voice low.

Severus looked at her. He had known he would have had to tell her eventually. He had known she'd probably be offended. But he hadn't expected for the world that it would affect him as it did.

He had made children cry -- whether they were 1st or 6th years, in his class they were all like 4-year-olds again. He had made adults cry -- he had been a Death Eater; the mere sight of his mask had been enough to make the tallest guy fall on his knees and beg for mercy. Yet, this young woman's crying unsettled him more than he dared to admit. It gave him a gnawing feeling his stomach, as if he'd eaten something rotten.

When Hermione stepped back onto the ground and slowly, steadily walked back to the castle, the feeling was gnawing on his insides even more. Guilt. He pressed off against the ground and took off into the night sky.

- -- - -- - -- -

Hermione was running through the halls now, no longer even sure where she was. It didn't matter, she thought, all she wanted now, was to be alone, without anyone around her, a person talking and asking her why she was crying --

-- when someone came from around a corner and she saw it too late. She crashed fully into the person, causing herself to fall back and hit the floor hard. "I'm sorry," she sobbed, getting up and trying to get away when she heard a familiar voice.

"Hermione? Is that you?" Remus Lupin stepped into the light of the torches. "It _is_ you! Why are you crying?" He looked genuinely worried, his eyebrows furrowed. However, Remus Lupin was the next to last person Hermione wanted to see right now, so she turned and wanted to walk away, when Remus grabbed her arm. "Hold on – oof."

'Oof' was the sound of air escaping from Remus' mouth.

Hermione wasn't of a violent nature: she didn't like violence and preferred to avoid it when she could. Sometimes, however, in exteme emotional situations, she couldn't, and when this was the case she wasn't to be taken lightly. Remus was so surprised that he immediately let go of Hermione's arm, and Hermione, having had her outburst, just fell down onto the floor, sobbing. Remus lowered himself as well, carefully putting a hand on her shoulder.

"Hermione, are you alright? That was one mighty punch." He rubbed his sore cheek, truly impressed.

Hermione's head shot up, her eyes red from crying. "I was a _bet_ that you made." she cried, her voice hoarse.

Remus yelped. "Yes."

"Why me then?!"

"It was decided on randomly, conversation-wise." Hermione sniffed, calming down a little. Remus looked at her honestly. "Look, Hermione. If at anyone, be mad at me. I came up with the flying contest, I took advantage of Severus' words, I kept him to the bet. Because that's what's this is about, isn't it? Did he scare you, was he mean?"

"No, no, not at all." Hermione shook her head, wiping her tears with the back of her hand. "Quite the contrary, really." she added quietly, but assuming from the sudden sparkle in Remus' eyes, he had heard anyway.

"Then don't be mad. You won the contest. I saw you up there, you both were enjoying it immensely. What's wrong with that?"

"But... he's my professor..."

"No he's not! It's a month before you're graduation, no classes are being held anymore. Besides, you're an adult. Barely, but as far as maturity goes, you've always been well beyond your age." He smiled. "That punch you just gave me, on the other hand, could be anough to keep you from graduating..."

Hermione couldn't help but laugh, despite herself. "I'm sorry. I didn't really mean to – well, actually, I _did_ mean to--"

"It's okay." Remus assured her, helping her up. "I suppose I deserved that, in some way."

"Good night, professor."

"Good night, miss Granger. And once more congratulations on your perfect flight."

She smiled as she began to head back to the dormitories now.

- -- - -- - -- -

It was a friday evening. Hermione knew classes had ended a week ago, but she also knew that Severus would still be in his office, grading the last papers, so that's where she was now. She knocked on the door, once more feeling very nervous. It seemed to take minutes instead of seconds before he answered the door. When he saw Hermione, he arched an eyebrow.

Hermione coughed.

There was an awkward silence.

Hermione hadn't really prepared this moment. She had figured she'd fall around his neck or once again press her lips against his as if nothing had happened, but they all seemed very foolish things to do now. This wasn't the Quidditch field. They weren't on brooms now. She was no longer forced to be around him.

"I'm sorry..." she then said.

"You're sorry." Snape repeated, his eyebrow still arched. "What are you sorry for?"

"For walking away. For not understanding. I understand now."

He stared at her, then finally moved away. "Come in, and shut the door." He turned, allowing her to come in. She was in the office once again, the office where it had all started... "I should have told you the reason for our partnership sooner. I never thought it'd come to this. I don't mind keeping the truth from my _students_: most of them have no use for it anyway... but I underestimated you."

He spun around, looking into her eyes from a distance. Hermione nodded. "I understand."

Snape stepped closer, softly stroking her cheek with one hand. No longer cold. "I'm sorry."

If those words had sounded incredible from the man's mouth, then Hermione surely believed him when he kissed her and made her mind whirl.

**FINI**

Final A/N: So. I'd like to say that overall I did much enjoy writing this story. Writing chaptered stories always requires a lot more... stamina than one-shots. And seeing as I have little of that, I'm quite surprised myself that I finished this. Then again, with chaptered stories there's always the lovely reviews that keep encouraging you to write, and I have to say that they really helped. I mean, I kind of had a one year break, didn't I? So yes, I mainly want to thank everybody who reviewed and who's still reviewing. It really is appreciated.

As for the story, man, I realized a little too late what canon can mean to a story, and how easy it is to fall into the trap of OOC. Poor Remus. It was all for entertainment purposes though, so I can live with it :P I hope you can, as well. Another thing I realized with writing this story is that HG/SS is a thing that _should_ be explained. It doesn't just come by itself, the tension isn't just there, as a writer you have to create it yourself, and I will never again write a story like this where the romance is all kind of heaped up in the end. I'm not sure how it worked out in this story, but it's just generally not a good idea.

So yeah. I learned some things from writing this fic. Some things about the characters, and some things about my own writing. I hope you all enjoyed it, and once more, thank you very much for putting up with me!


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